James Wharton will begin his European Formula 4 journey this weekend as part of the ADAC Formula 4 Championship at the famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
 
The race meeting will be the teenager’s first official European F4 race for Prema Powerteam and as a Ferrari Driver Academy member, where he will be contesting the German championship against 21 other talented juniors.
 
Since joining the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) in 2020, Wharton has faced plenty of adversity throughout his journey, which included a tough initiation in 2021 where he struggled to find form in karting.
 
However, while it would have been a difficult experience for the 14-year-old to move to the other side of the world, Ferrari continued to show faith in the Victorian by assisting him wherever possible and having him live near the team’s factory in Maranello.
 
As time passed and Wharton became more comfortable in Italy, a return to Melbourne over the Christmas holiday period helped him reset and recharge for year two in the FDA.
 
It was a trip that had a great effect on the youngster as a stint in the 2022 Formula 4 UAE Championship proved successful thanks to four wins, a third place and seven top 10 finishes across 16 races.
 
Wharton ultimately finished fifth in the championship, despite missing one full round - an excellent achievement that served as a good confidence booster.


It wasn’t just the driver who got a much-needed boost from that debut campaign in an open-wheel car with many top figures at Ferrari also pleased with his rise in form – including the team’s Formula 1 Racing Director, Laurent Mekies.
 
“James signed with us and came straight to live with us in Maranello at a very young age, so he had a big change of life, which was not easy for him,” Mekies said.
 
“He had a tough year in karting, but he is going to be in Formula 4 this year and we are confident we will be able to give him much stronger support when he reaches the single seater level.
 
“He had a good preparation for the winter series in the Middle East and now he is going to be in a very good environment where he will fight against some very good guys. The level is very high but that’s what we are after.
 
“It (Formula UAE Championship results) gave us the confidence that he is on the right pathway. I think he surprised a few guys because has had very limited experience in an F4 car and he had very good weekends.
 
“At some stages, he has shown some genuine speed and I think if you have genuine speed within you and you have the environment around you, you should be able to develop into the right path.
 
“It’s our environment and it’s a lot more natural, therefore we expect a big step for him this year.
 
“He will have quite a few boys with the same pace as him but it’s a competitive business and that’s what we all love about motorsport.”
 
Wharton’s first round in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship will be at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, while his Italian F4 Championship campaign begins early next month at Imola.  
 
The Victorian is one of nine drivers currently part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and was the inaugural winner of its World Scouting Finals in 2020 after being selected from the Asia/Pacific region.
 
Details for the 2022 Asia Pacific & Oceania region Ferrari Driver Academy selection program will be released in the coming weeks.
 
Click here for more information about the Ferrari Driver Academy.